As widely known in the art, an FCCL film is a polyimide-based film having a copper plating layer laminated on its surface and is a very important basic element in producing FPCBs (flexible printed circuit boards) used in mobile telephones, LCDs, PDPs, digital cameras, and laptop computers. Methods for applying a copper plating layer to a surface of a polyimide-based film to manufacture an FCCL include a method of using an adhesive to attach the copper plating layer to the surface of the polyimide-based film, and another method of electroplating the surface of a polyimide-based film, which has a copper coating formed thereon, with copper to laminate a copper plating layer on the film.
However, conventional copper plating and cleaning apparatuses used to manufacture FCCLs according to the latter method, i.e. electroplating method, have a problem in that since the copper plating layer is formed on a single surface of the polyimide-based film, they exhibit low productivity and efficiency in producing FCCLs having copper plating layers laminated on their both surfaces, which are used to produce multilayered FPCBs for high densification of circuit patterns.
Furthermore, conventional copper plating and cleaning apparatuses used to manufacture FCCLs have a large number of components including electrodes, feed rolls, and spray nozzles installed in a plating or cleaning bath, in order to dip a polyimide-based film being continuously supplied into a working fluid as well as perform plating or cleaning processes of it. In addition, electrical lines and fluid tubes connected to the components make it difficult to repair and maintain them or clean the plating or cleaning bath.